Who is your Buddhist teacher:

Buddhists have vowed to speak the Truth.
Buddhists have vowed too to make effort to know the Truth and speak out the Truth.
You should attempt to do the same if you wish to be a good Buddhist.

In Truth who ever you have learned or are learning or will learn Buddhism from
are your teachers.

And your teachers started all the way above with the historical Sakyamuni Buddha because
you still learn from His teachings about the Dharma.
And successively who ever you have learned or learning or will learn Buddhism from are your teacher.
Though you may have the most respect for the Buddha [and you should] you should have similar respect even if it is at a lesser degree for all the teachers you learn Buddhism from.

You are not paying money to learn Buddhism. you are paying respect to learn Buddhism.
If you don't pay money you don't buy anything. if you do not pay respect you don't learn anything
in Buddhism.
Whether you learn in silence or not the teachers are still your teachers. if your mind knows no respect i will wonder how that state of mind of yours is.

No, Buddhist teachers do not demand or expect respect.

Buddha never demended or expected Respect.
All His disciples, Sariputra, Mahakasapa, Bodhidharma, Sayadaws of Burma etc do not demand
or expect respect.
But without respect, the students of Buddhism will learn no Buddhism from the past teachers or the present teachers.

Of course you have a choice.
Whether or not you wish to pay respect to your teachers in Buddhism is your choice.
No one will know your choice except your own brain mind and your Karma.
Your brain mind is what you have to live with till you die and your brain kind knows
if you have been truthful or not. Karma is what you will live with till you die and beyond and Karma will treat you accprdingly in accordance with your own honesty.

What you do with your brain mind and your Karma is your choice, a free choice.

No one can pressure you to do what you must do freely.
In the traditional Buddhism respect is paid to Buddha Dharma Sangha Teachers Parents,
in that order if you wish to practice the right Buddhism.

des/boo-ngoh